Home/Economy/ Trucks Loaded With Aid Set On Fire at Venezuela-Colombia Border

Trucks Loaded With Aid Set On Fire at Venezuela-Colombia Border

Darrel Walker |Sunday, February 24, 2019

1 Killed, 12 Injured as Venezuela Turmoil Turns to Music

Having crossed into Colombia early on Saturday, Guaido briefly boarded one of the trucks as they set off towards the border, carrying 600 tons of nutritional supplements, medicine, and hygiene products into the poverty-stricken country. Even as several million Venezuelans flee and those who remain struggle to find basic goods like food and antibiotics, Maduro denies that a crisis exists.

"We are here to show our support for Nicolas Maduro and to say that Venezuela doesn't need humanitarian aid", Bianquis said in Spanish.

Guaido sensationally claimed that the Venezuelan military, whose high command has repeatedly declared absolute loyalty to Maduro, "participated in this process" to get him into Colombia.

Thirteen members of Venezuelan securities forces had defected on February 23, including 10 members of the National Guard officers and two police officers, Colombia's migration authority said.

As tensions grow between Colombia and Venezuela, the two countries are hosting rival music concerts on their sides of the border.

Mark Lowcock, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said that while UN agencies, such as the Pan American Health Organization and UNICEF, can only operate in Venezuela with the permission of the Maduro regime, they refuse to "compromise on our principles of neutrality, independence and impartiality".

But instead, as volunteers attempted to unload the trucks, they found themselves under tear gas attack, as security forces carried out orders to uphold President Nicolas Maduro's border blockade.

Guaido called on the military to arrest those responsible for the killings, "or you will be responsible". A Venezuelan general was negotiating with the tribe for the return of three lieutenants and a sergeant captured by the indigenous forces. "The world is watching", the statement added.

At 6:30 a.m. on Friday, a military convoy approached a checkpoint set up by an indigenous community in the southern village of Kumarakapai, which rests on the main artery linking Venezuela to Brazil. The vehicles are driven by Venezuelans and escorted by Brazilian police, organizers said.

Riding by the bridge on his bike, college student Frander Duenas said he hoped to sneak into Colombia to see Branson's Venezuela Aid Live because he's a fan of the musicians performing.

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Oriana Gutierrez said she travelled 14 hours to attend Friday's concert organized by billionaire Richard Branson and wanted to stay through the following day to help bring in aid.

The Venezuelan government has also closed its maritime border with Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire and, in the western state of Falcon, stopped flights to and from those islands. After Guaido invoked Venezuela's charter on January 23 to declare himself head of state, the U.S. urged other nations to recognize the 35-year-old as president. The leaders greeted the crowd before the concert ended.

Al Jazeera's Alessandro Rampietti, reporting from Cucuta on Saturday, said the opposition had "given up on getting the aid through, at least for today" as a result of the Venezuelan security forces' blocking efforts.

"Performers took to the stage against a giant backdrop emblazoned with the words "#Trump Hands off Venezuela", with around 2,500 people in attendance.

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